"A very rapid… and strange change." The word echoed in Emma’s mind as her fingers curled slightly against her knees. Her eyes narrowed. "What kind of change?"
Luna didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she continued to look at Emma.. no, through her. The silence deepened, stretching just long enough to stir an uneasy anticipation in Emma’s chest. Then, finally, Luna spoke again.
"Your Power Manifestation has shifted its way of operating," she said slowly, thoughtfully. "But before I say anything definitive, let’s try something first."
She lifted her hand, palm facing upward, and held it between them. "Place your hand on mine."
Emma hesitated only for a moment before reaching forward. The warmth of Luna’s skin met hers, soft yet steady, like the still surface of a moonlit lake.
"Close your eyes," Luna said, her voice smooth, coaxing. "And imagine... Imagine what it would be like to understand what someone is saying in their mind… as clearly as if they were speaking to you. Admire that thought. Let it settle in you. Let it grow."
Emma inhaled softly, then exhaled, steadying herself. She closed her eyes.
The darkness behind her lids was vast, empty at first. Then, like a ripple on the surface of a silent lake, something stirred. A single thought. A single pulse of sensation, like the distant echo of a drumbeat sinking into deep water.
Click.
A shift. A subtle, almost imperceptible movement within her own mind, like the unlocking of a door she hadn’t known existed.
Flick. Flick. Flick.
The sound was quiet, rhythmic... like something unfolding, something opening. And then..
Emma’s eyes fluttered open.
She was still sitting, her legs still crossed, her hand still resting in Luna’s grasp. The fire crackled softly nearby. Nothing had changed. And yet..
"Can you understand what I said?"
The words came. Clear. Crisp.
Emma’s lips parted slightly. But Luna hadn’t spoken. She hadn’t moved her lips. She hadn’t made a sound.
Yet, Emma had heard her.
Her breath caught. Her fingers twitched slightly against Luna’s hand.
"Yes," Emma whispered.
The realization settled over her like a slow-moving tide.
She had done it. She had manifested it. She had heard Luna’s thoughts, like a voice, as real as any spoken word.
"Wow…" The word slipped from her lips before she could stop it.
Luna opened her eyes, the faintest smile gracing her face. "You succeeded."
Emma let out a slow breath, blinking away the lingering shock. Then, she looked up at Luna and said, "Thank you."
A pause settled between them. The fire crackled. The wind whispered through the trees.
Emma hesitated, then tilted her head slightly. "But… if I may ask," she began carefully, "what conclusion did you come up with?"
Luna was quiet for a moment, considering. Then, finally, she spoke.
"I think you’re evolving," she said. "Automatically. Each time you learn something… or when you’re pushed to your extreme."
Emma nodded slowly.
Because deep down, she already knew that.
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A breeze wove through them, carrying with it the scent of damp earth and the faint, crisp touch of lingering twilight. The moon hung above, round and luminous, spilling silver light across the open..
Luna’s voice, soft yet calm, cut through the quiet.
"And your Power Manifestation ability… it’s not the same anymore."
Emma’s gaze flickered toward her. Luna, bathed in moonlight, sat with an almost unearthly presence, her glowing white eyes peering deep, as if seeing beyond just the surface.
"The normal kind only allows someone to manifest physical powers. But yours..." Luna paused, tilting her head slightly, studying Emma’s expression before continuing. "It’s different. It’s... evolving."
Emma frowned, her fingers unconsciously curling against the fabric of her dark ash skirt.
"Evolving how?" she asked, her voice steady but tinged with curiosity.
"Not only can you manifest what you admire.. things you find possible, but now, even things that should be impossible are within your grasp." Luna's voice was calm, but there was something beneath it, an almost unspoken awe. "It’s like you’re not just manifesting anymore. You’re creating... something unique, something entirely your own."
A quiet hum of realization flickered in Emma’s mind.
"And the best part?" Luna continued, shifting slightly as the fabric of her gown billowed with the night breeze. "Your ability allows you to easily admire anything you focus on. But..." her gaze sharpened, her expression turning serious, "you must be careful. Admiring too much, too often, could become dangerous. You may not always know what you’re bringing forth... or what it might do to you. Or to those around you."
Emma nodded, a slow, thoughtful movement. The weight of Luna’s words settled over her like a quiet tide. She let them sink in before allowing her thoughts to drift.
If I can manifest anything I admire, and it creates a unique version of itself... then, what if I tried to manifest a version of Transmutation Magic?, Her fingers tapped lightly against her knee as she considered it... Could I make it work without the Testament? If I only know the basics, would that even be enough to admire it properly?
She sighed, No... I don’t think admiration alone would be enough. Not unless I truly understand it.
She shook the thought away for now. Step by step. There was no need to rush.
"Luna," Emma asked suddenly, tilting her head slightly, "does reading minds help me learn more about Transmutation Magic?"
A small, knowing smile ghosted across Luna’s lips.
"Not quite," she answered, "but it will help you on the journey you’re about to take."
Emma barely had time to process that response before Luna spoke again.. this time, her voice dipping lower, calmer, almost too still.
"Emma."
The way she said it made Emma pause. She turned her head fully toward Luna, watching the way her glowing eyes seemed to flicker for the briefest of moments.
"What I’m about to say may seem sudden," Luna murmured, exhaling slightly, "but it’s for your own good."
A strange feeling settled in Emma’s chest.
Luna’s next words felt like the shifting of the wind before a storm.
"This may be the last time we see each other here."
A flicker of movement caught Emma’s eye. The Moonflies scattered throughout, suddenly began to gather, their soft, ethereal glow pulsing like the steady rhythm of a heartbeat. They danced through the air, their lights weaving together like threads of a celestial tapestry.
Then, Luna’s body began to glow. Not just the soft, ever-present radiance she always had.. but something more. Something deeper. Brighter.
Like the descent of a moon.
Emma's breath caught.
"Why?" The question left her lips before she could stop it. Her voice was quiet, but the weight behind it was anything but.
She hadn’t expected this. Not so soon.
Luna’s expression remained gentle, though something unreadable lingered behind her glowing gaze.
"I can’t tell you why." Her voice was quiet, steady, yet filled with something that made Emma’s stomach twist. "But what I can tell you is this..."
She paused, allowing the words to settle before continuing.
"Let your mind guide you on this journey."
The glow around her grew stronger, and the Moonflies swarmed, surrounding her like a shimmering veil of light.
"Follow what seems right in your heart."
Emma’s fingers curled slightly, her shoulders tensing as the air around them pulsed with an unspoken farewell.
Luna’s form, her very being was beginning to dissolve, piece by piece, into the countless Moonflies that flitted around her.
"And most importantly..." Luna’s voice was softer now, as if fading into the wind itself.
Emma watched, wide-eyed, as Luna’s body continued to dissolve, her presence turning into nothing but scattered fragments of glowing light.
Then, in a whisper, Luna’s final words came.
"Never, under any circumstance... let anything make you lose your humanity."
Emma barely registered the movement of her own body as she reached forward, following the direction Luna was fading into. The glowing fragments of Moonflies drifted past her fingers, their lights flickering like dying stars.
"Wait..." Emma’s voice wavered, her chest tightening. "We haven’t even said goodbye properly."
Luna’s dissolving form stilled for just a moment.
And then, Emma felt it.
A soft, warm touch.
Luna’s hand, still whole, still solid held onto hers.
A gentle squeeze. A fleeting warmth.
The last thing Emma saw was Luna’s face, smiling ever so slightly.
"I won’t say goodbye," Luna murmured, her voice barely more than a breath, "because I know we’ll meet again."
The glow around her flared once more, brilliant and blinding as Luna concluded, "well then... Emma Walts, I wish you a happy Farewell....."
My Special Friend......
Do you forgive me? 🥺
